Book construction



Apzrifl 4, 1950 c. L. ANDREW BOOK CONSTRUCTION Filed May 20, 1945 Carl .L. fin

ATTORNE S Patented Apr. 4, 1950 BOOK CONSTRUCTION Carl L. Andrew, Greenville, S. 0., assignor of onehalf to Edward B. Smith, Greenville, S. 0.

Application May 20, 1946, Serial No. 670,917

2 Claims.

This invention relates to books and more particularly to means for securing the leaves to the covers of books, so that the leaves may be retained indefinitely between the covers or may be removed, as a unit, from the covers and a new unit substituted.

An important object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive means for removably securing the leaves to the covers of books, whereby portions of the securing means may be hidden from view, whether the book be open or closed.

Another important object is to provide, in conjunction with means to detachably secure leaves to the covers of books, means functioning both to retain the securing means firmly to the leaves and to retain the leaves secured together.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description of the invention,

taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and in which drawings Figure 1 is a plan View of a stack of leaves, suitably slotted to receive portions of the securing means mentioned.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 but with the portions of the securing means inserted.

Figure 3 is a transverse section through the stack of Figure 2, but with the free ends of the securing means turned over.

Figure 4 is a view somewhat like that of Figure 2 but with portions of the securing means of Figure 2 concealed by a leaf superposed on the stack of Figure 2, and showing the turned over means of Figure 3 to retain the portions of the securing means of Figure 2 in place and the leaves together.

Figure 5 is a view of the back of the cover of a book, showing other portions of the embodiment of the securing means of Figures 1 to 4 inclusive.

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a unit of the securing means of Figures 1 to 5, associated with the book cover and the leaves.

Figure 7 is an elevation of the two portions of the unit of Figure 6.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention, this embodiment is designated as F, including: leaves G; cover H; securing means J for the leaves G and cover H; and means K for retaining portions of the means J in place as well as securing the leaves G together.

In the book construction F, the leaf G is provided, adjacent its inner or back-engaging edge Ml, with a plurality of slots 6|. Preferably, these slots are narrow, although they may be wide, and they extend parallel with the edge 60.

The cover H for a stack of leaves G may have spaced-apart perforations 65, in its back 66, depressions B1 surrounding the perforations 65, and cover portions 68 and 68, joining the back 65. The perforations 65 are so disposed, with respect to the stack of leaves G, that their respective axes align with substantially the centers of the slots 53 1.

With reference to the means J, this includes suitable inserts or members in the slots 6 I. Preferably, the inserts or members are strips or plugs 10 of suitable soft metal, longer than the thickness of the stack of leaves G. Each strip or plug 10 is adapted to quite snugly fill its slot 6|, with the ends of the strips or plugs extending outwardly of the stack, upon insertion thereof, and for a purpose later detailed.

The means J also includes a cover-inserted portion or member 1! which is, preferably, a screw having a head 12 and screw threaded shank 13, of metal harder than that of the strip or plug 10, adapted to cut screw threads in the soft metal insert strips or plugs 10. The plug or member 10 and portion or member 1| comprise a unit.

The outwardly-extending ends 15 and 16 of the strips or plugs 10 provide the means K since, when the strips or plugs 10 are inserted in the slots 6| with the ends 15 and 16 protruding, these ends 15 and 16 are suitably manipulated as to extend over the outermost of the stack of leaves G and in intimate contact with these outermost leaves. The ends 15 and 16 may be bent over to effect this, and then provide the means K and prevent the main portion of the strip or plug 1ll from tearing away from the stack of leaves G and also aid in retaining the stack together.

After a stack of slotted leaves G is assembled, with the slots Bl thereof aligned, the strips or plugs 10 are inserted and the ends 15 and 16 turned over to contact the outer surfaces of the outer leaves G.

The now secured-together stack of leaves G is then inserted into a cover H so that the perforations 65 therein align with substantially the centers of the plugs or strips 10, a suitable number of screw-threaded portions 1! of means J are inserted into the perforations 65 and the portions 1| rotated to either cut through the leaf material between the edges 60 of the leaves and central portions of the strips or plugs 10 and then into these central portions, and this will detachably secure the stack of leaves G and cover H together.

Metal, displaced by the free end of the screwthreaded shank 13 will tend to retain the slightly bulging plugs or strips 10 in tighter engagement with their associated leaves.

From the above, it will be seen that a practical, inexpensive and sturdy structure is provided for conventional book covers which are provided with suitable openings in their backs. The stack of leaves may be marketed as a unit, carrying the means J, or simply the leaves-inserted portions of this means, for cooperation with covers, carrying the covers-inserted portions of this means. Thus the covers may be used repeatedly and the stacks of leaves, permanently secured together, by the means K, and stored or filed for reference, if desired.

What is claimed is:

1. In an insert assembly for loose-leaf books, a plurality of stacked leaves each provided with a substantially straight edge and a substantially straight slot closely adjacent and paralleling said edge, all of said slots in said stacked leaves being in substantial alignment; a metallic plug within each of the combined aligned slots of the stack, with the free ends of said plug being turned over to extend over and in contact with the outermost leaves of the stack; and a screw-threaded member for each plug, having a screw-threaded shank portion of metal, constructed and arranged to cut screw threads into its plug upon rotation of said screw-threaded member, the metal of said shank portion being harder than that of said plug and the length of said shank portion being such that, when the free end of said shank portion is fully screwed into said first-named plug and the material cl said leaves in the path of said shank portion from said edges to said plug, a section of said shank portion will extend outwardly of the planes of said edges.

2. In an insert assembly for loose-leaf books, a plurality of stacked leaves each provided with a substantially straight edge and a substantially straight slot closely adjacent and paralleling said edge, all of said slots in said stacked leaves being in substantial alignment; a metallic plug within each of the combined aligned slots of the stack and in snug-fitting relationship with the walls of said slots, with the free ends of said plug being turned over to extend over and in contact with the outermost leaves of the stack; and a screw-threaded member for each plug, having a screw-threaded shank portion of metal, constructed and arranged to cut screw threads into its plug upon rotation of said screw-threaded member, the metal of said shank portion being harder than that of said plug and the length of said shank portion being such that, when the free end of said shank portion is fully screwed into said first-named plug and the material of said leaves in the path of said shank portion from said edges to said plug, a section of said shank portion will extend outwardly of the planes of said edges.

CAR-L L. ANDREW.

REFERENCES CFEED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 321,142 Schurmann June 30-, 1385 515,872 Nisson Mar. 6, 1894 1,715,653 Grai et a1 June 4, 1929 

